Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine, as well as the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators therefore strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines, features, and enhancements attract frequent play and, hence, increase profitability to the operator.
Many gaming machines include a variety of visual attractions and displays, such as models, signs, and other forms of information. These items typically include fixed permanently-printed glass, video displays, artwork, models, and/or marquees. In many gaming regions, industry regulations in fact require each gaming terminal to include top-box mounted lighting and signage that indicate, for example, the class of machine, when the machine is of out of funds, when the machine is malfunctioning, etc.
Historically, each gaming machine was limited to a single game with a dedicated primary display and top-box mounted flat-screen display or marquee assembly. In most configurations, the gaming terminal's various display devices are rigidly mounted to the cabinet in a fixed location, and therefore are limited to providing a single view in a single orientation. Moreover, traditional electronic graphical display devices, such as cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, plasma display panels, and light emitting diode (LED) displays, are rigid and inflexible, having a fixed size and shape, and therefore cannot expand, contract, or change form. There may therefore be a need for reconfigurable gaming display devices that are not limited to a single view, a single orientation, a single size, and/or a single shape.